The Wisconsin Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's (DATCP) Bureau of
Consumer Protection is spreading joy and information about how
to protect yourself and your family from scams at this time of
the year.
Charity Scams
In the spirit of the season, many consumers give generously
to charities over the holidays. But while they are looking to
share, scammers are looking to steal through fake charities with
high-pressure pitches.
Read online
Gift Card Shopping and
Scams
Shoppers and gift recipients alike love gift cards for their
convenience and ease of purchase and use. As with anything else
where there is an exchange of money, however, there are some
dos, don’ts and potential scam traps to consider when it comes
to gift cards.
Read online
Holiday Promotions
In recent years, many major retailers have started spreading
their one-day Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales into a
week-long shopping extravaganza. Each of these promotions will
have its own terms and conditions, including limited item
inventories, rebate requirements and specific promotion dates
and times. How does a shopper keep track of all of the details
for these sales?
Read online
Layaway
Layaway is a popular option for consumers looking to hold
the hottest gifts at the store without paying the full price
upfront. The process for layaway varies from store to store,
however, with different fees and conditions to consider.
Read online
Online Shopping
Holiday sales are expected to increase for the ninth year in
a row in 2017, and online sales will continue to drive much of
the spending (National
Retail Federation). Using smartphones, smartwatches, tablets
and laptop computers, consumers can tackle an entire shopping
list from anywhere they can get an internet connection. But
with this convenience comes a need to protect your personal and
financial information when shopping online.
Read online
Returns / Exchanges
Gift shopping is a gamble. Despite all of your best efforts,
your “perfect gift” may end up back on the store shelf hours
after the package is unwrapped. Given that even the best
presents sometimes get returned or exchanged, planning ahead can
be a great help to a gift recipient.
Read online
Shipping Scams
More and more consumers are shopping for the holidays online
and are accustomed to the influx of purchase and delivery
confirmation emails. This added email traffic creates a scenario
where scammers can sneak malware-laden spam emails into
consumers’ accounts masked as shipping or delivery alerts.
Read online
Toy Safety
We consider a number of factors when we shop for a gift for
children–what’s popular, what they are excited about, what they
need–but we may not always think about the most important
factor: safety. Even the most popular toy may not be appropriate
for the intended child or safe for other children in the home.
Read online |